O2 posts best-ever Q1 profits, with Virgin Media merger expected to close in June
The MNO grew its customer base by 5.1pc during Q1 to 36.6 million
Paul Lipscombe
May 13, 2021
The figure has jumped up from 18pc from last September
The UK’s fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) coverage has grown to one in five (21 per cent) according to Ofcom.
Ofcom revealed that FTTP coverage has grown to 21 per cent from 18 per cent last September.
In its latest Connection Nations Update for Spring 2021, Ofcom’s report detailed the growth in rollout of full-fibre connectivity across the UK.
Northern Ireland ranked the highest for total coverage with 61pc of the nation covered by FTTP.
This figure is considerably higher than England (19pc), Scotland (20pc) and Wales (21pc).
Access to gigabit capable services in the UK also grew 10 per cent to 37pc coverage in the UK, from September 2020, while ultrafast services access up two per cent to 61pc during the same period.
Work to do
Commenting on the latest figures, CommScope international senior vice president Phil Sorsky urges the UK service providers to aim even higher.
“It is great to read that more UK homes have full fibre broadband, considering all the disruption brought on by the pandemic. While this brings us to a total of 21 per cent of homes, that still means there are approximately 52 million people without access to full fibre broadband.
“We need infrastructure providers to accelerate their targets for fibre roll out in order to provide equal opportunities for all, regardless of location.
“Investment in the digital transformation of our country is important because it will have long term and far-reaching benefits for us all – both economically and socially.”